President Donald Trump mainly focused on sports and avoided discussing tariffs during the White House celebration of the Florida Panthers, the NHL’s reigning Stanley Cup champions, on Monday.
Trump delayed the event for nearly an hour to have a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about tariffs. Once the ceremony began, with the Stanley Cup placed on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Trump posed for pictures with the Panthers, spoke with players and team owner Vinnie Viola — who he considers a close friend — and received a couple of jerseys and a golden hockey stick as gifts.
Trump praised the Panthers for their remarkable comeback from losing in the 2023 finals to Vegas to winning their first-ever championship. He humorously compared their comeback to his own return to the White House.
“You gave the fans one of the most riveting comebacks in NHL history, in any sport history,” Trump said. “I don’t know anything about a comeback, but they tell me it’s very nice.”
The Panthers presented Trump with a customized red jersey reading “Trump 45-47,” and a “Trump 47” jersey, as well as the gold stick. The gifts were handed to him by Viola, Finnish captain Aleksander Barkov, and American forward Matthew Tkachuk.
“We had to go with 45 and 47, right?” Viola joked. “We brought a cohort, to use a term from the military, of champions to visit a champion. And your kindness and the hospitality displayed by your staff reflect the excellence you demand from people, and we were the beneficiaries of it today.”
Viola had briefly been nominated by Trump to be the Secretary of the Army in 2016, though he later withdrew his name.
Trump praised Viola, saying, “He’s a champion at everything he’s ever done, loves the military.”
Trump also singled out key players, including goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, forward Anton Lundell, and Game 7 heroes Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe, as well as Florida head coach Paul Maurice and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Trump commended Bettman’s long tenure, saying, “He does a great job. Knew him for a long while, when he was in another league. But this has been incredible, the job you’ve done.”
Soon after the ceremony, Trump announced that he had agreed to pause tariffs on both Canada and Mexico for 30 days.
Tkachuk, the only American-born player remaining on the team this season, expressed his gratitude for the visit. “Being one of the few Americans who loves this country so much, this is such an incredible day for myself,” he said. “You wake up every day really grateful to be an American, so thank you.”
The Panthers visited the White House before their game against the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. During his speech, Trump mentioned talking to Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record.
Trump recalled a conversation with Gretzky, saying, “Do you know Wayne Gretzky? Did you ever hear of Wayne Gretzky? Isn’t that the ‘Great One?’ And he was telling me about a gentleman that protected him named Marty McSorley. You know that? You ever hear of him? I don’t know if he was a good hockey player, but they say he was very tough. Wayne was saying he was great as far as he was concerned.”
